Coffee
by Xenoglossy
Summary: Once upon a time, Roy Mustang had a dream. Now he just wonders why Ed is still hanging around. RoyEd


**Coffee**  
Cephied Variable

Once upon a time Roy Mustang had a dream of his future wife- a faceless, nameless prescence, sweet smelling and beautiful as she moved fluidly through his dreams like a creature born of pure grace and poise. She would sing softly under her breath, arrange flowers in the kitchen, smile with the smile of an angel and, most importantly, wisk Roy away to a world full of love and care that was as far away from the battlfield, the military and the county's petty politics.

These days, all of Roy's dreams were interrupted by a heavy, metal arm smacking him soundly in the face as the figure lying next to him rolled over and stole all of the blankets.

As amusing as it was to watch Edward break another one of his favorite mugs, Roy was beginning to wonder what the point of it all was. He watched the younger man's long hair sway about him in the morning sunlight as he cursed a blue streak, attempting to sweep the shattered porcelain with his hands. It was the tenth cup in six months; a creature of grace, Edward Elric was not. At least not around the house- Roy had seen the man fight and had yet to puzzle out exactly where the delicacy and dexterity expressed in battle disappeared to once the blonde was introduced to the kitchen.

Edward would most like benefit from being handed a broom or, at very least, the newspaper Roy had discarded minutes earlier. However, they did not have that sort of relationship and Roy contented himself to watch his young lover (was that what they were calling themselves these days?) pry bits of porcelain out of the crevices in his automail. Ed grumbled something under his breath and stood to ask Roy something, only to notice the peculiar stare the older man had settled on him. They stared at each other across the kitchen, each assessing the situation as they would a battle- Edward was trying to figure out whether or not Roy was angry about the mug; Roy was trying to figure out why he wasn't.

"Why are you still here?" Roy finally asked, slipping the question in the moment before Edward's inquirious gaze turned irritated.

Ed furrowed his brows and wrinkled his nose in confusion that looked more like disgust, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Roy set his coffee on the table and spread his arms, "I mean- why are you still here, in this house?" a pause, before he added, "And in my bed? In my _life_?"

Ed's confusion slipped away, replaced by a mischevious grin. He sauntered towards the table, snatched the newspaper and very nearly _swayed_ his hips on his way back to the shattered mug, every step and motion typical of a person who knew they were being watched, "Why, _Colonel_? Are you afraid I'm going to leave you to a cold, lonely and impotent old age?"

Roy steepled his fingers and rested his chin on his knuckles, trying not to laugh at the way Edward self-conciously flipped his hair over his shoulders, "Oh, it's nothing that desperate. I simply assumed that you'd be with your brother. I imagine that he has a home out in the country- white, with colored trim and a neatly symmetrical fence surrouding the perimeter. I doubt I would ever be as lonely without you as Alphonse must be."

Ed paused and stared blankly at the floor- this was the point where Roy would have expected a younger Edward Elric to take a temper fit. Say something ridiculous like: _"Are you kicking me out, you bastard? What- suddenly I'm not good enough for you?"_ oh yes, and probably something about his height, _"Are you implying that I'm too short to live in your house because I can't read the top cupboards without a stepstool?"_ (Not that Edward ever _used_ a stepstool of course- he simply climbed the counter with catlike grace and proceeded to drop expensive mugs and plates and bowls as if they were dimestore merchandise. Roy hmmed thoughtfully at that one- dimestores were perhaps the perfect solution to the problem).

This Edward, however, was an adult and, like an adult, he quietly finished clearing away the shattered porcelain without another word. When he was finished, he finally poured himself some coffee and took a seat at the kitchen table, smoothing the wrinkled newspaper against the table surface, "The problem is that Al lives in the country," he began slowly, "As much as I hate this stinking city, it's... convinient considering the work I do." he raised his eyes, shooting a serious, but lopsided grin in Roy's direction, "Besides, Al's married. As much as I love my brother, he's going to have his own family soon. He hardly needs me around acting like some sort of caged panther when all he really wants is to be alone with his wife. That kind of... of..." he struggled with the word.

"Normal?" Roy supplied.

Ed scoffed, "_Boring_ life works for Al, but not for me."

"Ah, I see now." Roy said evenly, taking a short sip from his coffee. He watched Edward unload half the carton of creame and twice the amount of sugar into his own mug.

"I live with _you_ because, first of all, you don't charge rent." Ed tested his coffee, grimaced, and grabbed for the sugar again, "My travels don't exactly provide much in the way of salary and it's always nice to have somewhere- somewhere _free_, mind you- to return home to. Even if it _does_ mean living off your cushy military pension. Also-"

Roy arched an elegant eyebrow, "Also?" he nudged.

"The sex isn't bad." the blonde admitted with a sigh and an all-too-casual shrug. He gripped his mug with two hands and drank long and deep, his lips leaving the rim of the cup with a heavy sigh, "But the _coffee_ is even better."

Roy shook his head and smiled because, really, that was as close to an admission as he was ever going to get from Edward Elric.


End file.
